National Cancer Statistics: It's estimated that 151,000 Australians were diagnosed with cancer in 2021 – that's over 400 per day. Almost 1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. It's estimated that over 1 million Australians are currently living with cancer, or beyond cancer.
It is estimated that around 2 in 5 people (or 43%) will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85. In 2018, the age-standardised incidence rate was 504 cases per 100,000 persons (576 for males and 442 for females).
Influenced by population growth and older people becoming a larger proportion of the population (Australia's ageing population), the number of new cases of cancer diagnosed is estimated to increase to 185,000 in 2031.
Cancer is a major cause of illness and death in Australia. In 2021 it is estimated that about 151,000 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer (413 per day) and 49,000 will die (135 per day).
Age and Cancer Risk
The incidence rates for cancer overall climb steadily as age increases, from fewer than 25 cases per 100,000 people in age groups under age 20, to about 350 per 100,000 people among those aged 45–49, to more than 1,000 per 100,000 people in age groups 60 years and older.
Cancer risk increases as we age
But getting cancer at a young age is rare. 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime - one of the main reasons for this being that people are living longer. Half of all cancers are in people over the age of 70. But getting older doesn't mean you will definitely get cancer.
Cancer risk factors include exposure to chemicals or other substances, as well as certain behaviors. They also include things people cannot control, like age and family history. A family history of certain cancers can be a sign of a possible inherited cancer syndrome.
The most common cancers in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) are prostate, breast, colorectal (bowel), melanoma and lung cancer. These five cancers account for about 60% of all cancers diagnosed in Australia.
Leading risk factors for preventable cancers are smoking, getting too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or tanning beds, being overweight or having obesity, and drinking too much alcohol.
The highest cancer rate for men and women combined was in Denmark at 334.9 people per 100,000. The age-standardised rate was at least 300 per 100,000 for 10 countries: Denmark, Ireland, Belgium, Hungary, France, The Netherlands, Australia, Norway, France (New Caledonia) and Slovenia.
Breast, lung and bronchus, prostate, and colorectal cancers account for almost 50% of all new cancer cases in the United States. Lung and bronchus, colorectal, pancreatic, and breast cancers are responsible for nearly 50% of all deaths.
Pancreatic cancer has lowest survival rate, doctors say. Here's what to know about the aggressive cancer.
Since the mid-20th century, many unhealthy changes have affected diet, lifestyle, obesity, the environment and our microbiomes. Those changes may now be occurring earlier in life and may be making humans more susceptible to cancer at a younger age.
Processed meat includes bacon, ham, lunch meats, meat jerky, hot dogs, salami, and other cured meat products. Any amount of processed meat and more than around 18 ounces of fresh meat per week are most strongly linked with a higher risk of cancer.
Health experts are still sorting out whether stress actually causes cancer. Yet there's little doubt that it promotes the growth and spread of some forms of the disease. Put simply, “stress makes your body more hospitable to cancer,” Cohen says.
Sugar is not a carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substance. However, over-consumption of sugar, particularly added sugars in processed beverages and foods, can contribute to obesity which is an important risk factor for cancer. There is no evidence that consuming sugar makes cancer cells grow faster or cause cancer.
The big five – lung, bowel, breast, prostate and pancreatic cancers – accounted for almost half of the total cancer burden, the data sourced from the 2011 Australian Burden of Disease study showed. Lung cancer was the most deadly, accounting for close to one in five years of life lost.
Australia has the world's highest age-standardized cancer rate at 452.4 cases per 100,000 people. Australia has some of the highest rates of breast cancer and melanoma in the world.
In Australia, primary liver cancer is the only malignancy to show a significant increase in mortality rate between 1991 and 2010, making it the most rapidly rising cause of cancer death in the country. Some 70 to 80% of cases of HCC are associated with chronic liver disease due to hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
Doctors have known for decades that men are more likely to develop cancer than women. Men have a one in two chance of being diagnosed with cancer during their lifetimes; for women, the chance is one in three, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Mountain States Have Lowest Cancer Rates
New Mexico came in at No. 1, with 350.4 new cases of cancer per 100,000 in population annually. Arizona has the second-lowest rate of 368.1 and Colorado has the third-lowest with 387.2.
Evolution seems to have favored some relatively common resistance genes that protect the majority of humans against cancer development. One day, finding out how nature keeps most of us cancer-free could help identify and repair specific genetic mechanisms in the large minority of individuals who do suffer from cancer.